Good Karma

Good Karma

Last week I visited my favorite thrift shop, Good Karma, and asked the owner Cherie Anderson her thoughts on why thrift shopping is important.

(This sweater was from a thrift shop as my ugly Christmas sweater for work.)

Why are thrift shops important?

Thrift shops are important, number one because they provide affordable shopping for those who don’t have a lot of extra money and second of all, it keeps things out of our landfills. It encourages people to recycle, up cycle, and reuse.

What kind of impact do they have on our future?

Huge. Huge. I think we are a throwaway society coming out of many generations of wasteful people and the more popularity that thrift stores gain, the more we save our earth.

How much of what is given to you do you accept and put into the store?

 I would say 95%.

And what do you do with the stuff you can’t sell?

The stuff that I can’t sell? I do take a lot of items that aren’t necessarily sellable, I mean shelf ready, but they’re artist ready. So we have networked with a lot of up cycled artists and I’ve got people, for example, if I have chipped glassware I save it for schools, for artists to use as mosaics, to break and use for mosaics. So the list goes on and on and on. We try to keep it alive and not let it go to the landfill. Clothing that we aren’t real… they aren’t in our genre we donate to other thrift stores that I know are, or to other organizations.

What would you tell people who don’t thrift shop?

People who don’t thrift shop don’t know what they’re missing. I think it’s a plethora of hidden treasures out there and people would be surprised…here’s the bottom line, if you find something in a thrift store for example a blender, okay, and it’s still working after five years, it’s probably pretty  good quality. If you buy a pair of jeans that the zipper still works and the bottom hasn’t fallen off and the pockets haven’t come unsewn and the seams aren’t busting, it’s good quality. If you like spending money and supporting the big corporations then shop at the mall, but you can get a pair of Abercrombie jeans at Good Karma for two dollars and fifty cents or you can go to the mall and pay eighty-five dollars. It’s just up to you. Support your community. Teach your kids, teach your kids. That’s most important.

Thank you Cherie for taking the time to do this interview and Allison Joy for taking all the wonderful pictures.

Good Karma is located at 1120 Tucker Rd Hood River, OR 97031. If you're ever in the area you should drop in or check them out on Facebook. 

This trip to the store only cost me around $22.00 and I got a couple of craft supplies, clothes, books, a bag and a chair which will hopefully be featured in an upcoming project.

xoxo Anna Lynne